Sailor Storia Pigmented Ink

[lgsoltek]

I have tried all of them except Balloon Green, one in a fountain pen, two or three with a dip pen and some with swabs. They all write down as quite a nice and rich colour but all dry to a terribly pastel colour. Never have I been so disappointed in Sailor inks.

[Sandy1]

I have tried all of them except Balloon Green, one in a fountain pen, two or three with a dip pen and some with swabs. They all write down as quite a nice and rich colour but all dry to a terribly pastel colour. Never have I been so disappointed in Sailor inks.

 

Hi,

 

Oh my!

 

I always expect Sailor to bring us great inks.

 

Were your results (after drying) similar to those shown in the first post?

 

Just looking at those samples, I would expect the 'Night' to be a fairly normal Blue - not so far away from Waterman 'Serenity' in terms of Value (light - dark). The same for 'Magic' - not too far from Waterman 'Tender Purple'.

 

If possible, please post a photo/scan of your results.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited April 23, 2015 by Sandy1

[mhosea]

In the video just before the water test, you see what Magic becomes when dry, same for Dancer. I'm not really surprised that these come out to be pastel-looking when dry. I knew that was a possibility. Sei Boku and Kiwa Guro are highly saturated, but what's to say these other colored pigments can make an ink that flows well enough at concentrations that achieve similar effects? Apparently they don't, but maybe if you lay down a very wet drop and let it dry, enough pigment will end up in one spot for the color to meet expectations, more or less.

[Sandy1]

In the video just before the water test, you see what Magic becomes when dry, same for Dancer. I'm not really surprised that these come out to be pastel-looking when dry. I knew that was a possibility. Sei Boku and Kiwa Guro are highly saturated, but what's to say these other colored pigments can make an ink that flows well enough at concentrations that achieve similar effects? Apparently they don't, but maybe if you lay down a very wet drop and let it dry, enough pigment will end up in one spot for the color to meet expectations, more or less.

 

Hi,

 

I did look at the videos.

 

'Magic': A very nice Falcon pen OR an FA nib on some other Pilot pen, which appeared slightly wet, as would be expected from those nib+pen combos; and the author has a deliberate hand, which moves relatively slowly over the page. As such I would expect results shown are at the darker end of the ink's range of Values.

(Compare that to the author's video showing Pelikan 4001 Turquoise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-ez57VXJSA )

 

To better state my concern: It is not just about Value when the ink is dry enough not to smudge, but if it suffers 'dry down' after several hours. Or even if it behaves like Diamine 'China Blue' that shifts a fair bit up to a day after writing. (??)

 

As I've used iron-gall inks that shift appearance over time, such behaviour is not a bad thing, but to avoid use of naughty words, I'd like to have a better idea of what is a reasonable expectation.

 

With my preference for firm-rigid nibs and brisk light hand, I am less enthusiastic now than when I first saw these inks - they might not be up my street. Rather they seem more suited to those who take their time and have the pen+paper+technique to produce wonderful things.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited April 23, 2015 by Sandy1

[Davros]

 

 

To better state my concern: It is not just about Value when the ink is dry enough not to smudge, but if it suffers 'dry down' after several hours. Or even if it behaves like Diamine 'China Blue' that shifts a fair bit up to a day after writing. (??)

 

As I've used iron-gall inks that shift appearance over time, such behaviour is not a bad thing, but to avoid use of naughty words, I'd like to have a better idea of what is a reasonable expectation.

 

 

My own use is very preliminary, and I've tested them most with a dip pen on Tomoe River and 32lb HP paper. However, I do not see much of a shift with Night, Balloon, Lion, or Spotlight (Blue/Green/Brown/Yellow). I'm pretty sure Clown is the same green shade that I tested, but I'm a little less confident, because I never did a second sample. Fire I think does end up slightly different, but I'd need to do more testing to be sure. The shift is not so significant that I can just glance at it and say exactly what the difference is. Dancer I believe ends up being essentially the same hue, with a shift towards lightness, but it's a pretty normal "this ink is drying" shift; nothing nearly so dramatic as China Blue. Notably, this shift is most visible on the HP 32lb, and may be due to some absorbance of ink into the paper. On Tomoe River, I did not notice such a shift.

 

I think the differences I observed are well within tolerance levels for most people - but I have not had the opportunity for longer explorations with various nibs and papers. I think the most "usable" shades (blue, purple) are the least interesting in terms of something "new"; there are many blues and purples with similar shades. Lion is the real standout for me as a light golden brown with waterfastness and a very nice range of shading and color. The jury's still out on mixing; I need a lot more time to experiment. Early results have been promising, though.

[mhosea]

I'd like to have a better idea of what is a reasonable expectation.

Of course. My "default" expectation when it comes to pigmented inks would be that the inks will "flatten" when the water has completely evaporated as the pigment particles settle onto and into the paper, this being rather different than the appearance they have when suspended in a layer of water between the paper and the eye. If the ink is saturated enough with pigment particles, the result may be rich in color, but if it is not, it will be thin-looking, because coverage of the paper is incomplete. I do not expect a chemical reaction, so I would be surprised to see any significant fading after all the water has evaporated. My chief concern would be whether they are saturated enough at normal flow rates for me to be satisfied with the color of the dried ink. I'm thinking not.

[Algester]

Though at 30 ml there barely anything to get a sample from... Ill just be patient and wait if they can be bought from normal retailers...

[Sandy1]

 

My own use is very preliminary, and I've tested them most with a dip pen on Tomoe River and 32lb HP paper. However, I do not see much of a shift with Night, Balloon, Lion, or Spotlight (Blue/Green/Brown/Yellow). I'm pretty sure Clown is the same green shade that I tested, but I'm a little less confident, because I never did a second sample. Fire I think does end up slightly different, but I'd need to do more testing to be sure. The shift is not so significant that I can just glance at it and say exactly what the difference is. Dancer I believe ends up being essentially the same hue, with a shift towards lightness, but it's a pretty normal "this ink is drying" shift; nothing nearly so dramatic as China Blue. Notably, this shift is most visible on the HP 32lb, and may be due to some absorbance of ink into the paper. On Tomoe River, I did not notice such a shift.

 

I think the differences I observed are well within tolerance levels for most people - but I have not had the opportunity for longer explorations with various nibs and papers. I think the most "usable" shades (blue, purple) are the least interesting in terms of something "new"; there are many blues and purples with similar shades. Lion is the real standout for me as a light golden brown with waterfastness and a very nice range of shading and color. The jury's still out on mixing; I need a lot more time to experiment. Early results have been promising, though.

 

 

Of course. My "default" expectation when it comes to pigmented inks would be that the inks will "flatten" when the water has completely evaporated as the pigment particles settle onto and into the paper, this being rather different than the appearance they have when suspended in a layer of water between the paper and the eye. If the ink is saturated enough with pigment particles, the result may be rich in color, but if it is not, it will be thin-looking, because coverage of the paper is incomplete. I do not expect a chemical reaction, so I would be surprised to see any significant fading after all the water has evaporated. My chief concern would be whether they are saturated enough at normal flow rates for me to be satisfied with the color of the dried ink. I'm thinking not.

 

Hi,

 

Many thanks for making such detailed and useful Replies.

 

I'm quite inexperienced in the realm of the nano pigment [FP] inks, so my interest is piqued when there's new offerings that might be invited to join the party.

(The previous coloured nano inks from Platinum were not so impressive that I stocked my shelves & cellar with them.)

 

It seems that the appearance of the Storia inks from wet to dry to 'cured' seems well within the range of what one sees with typical aniline dye inks; and there is malleability according to the chosen pen+paper combo. So that's a good thing - both for those who'd use the inks as they come or in a blend.

 

Ms Blue-Black has mild reservations as to their utility as a 'daily writer' inks. Yet it seems quite likely that one can conjure a [blue-centric] bespoke hue that results in an ink with a performance profile that rivals or exceeds those of simple aniline dye inks or cellulose-reactive 'permanent' inks.

 

When taken as a set, especially for blending, I still see them as being "more suited to those who take their time and have the pen+paper+technique to produce wonderful things."

 

I look forward to other Members future explorations of these inks.

 

Bring on the wonderful things!

 

Bye,

S1

[lgsoltek]

Here are some writing samples with a dip pen. So keep in mind that the words are much more saturated than written with a fountain pen. For actual writing colour, see the lighter part of the swab.

As I said, these inks are not highly saturated. The blue, the brown and the yellow green look nice enough. But I just hate that red. Look at that swab. It's chalky pink. I've never seen any pink fire in my life. And sadly that's how it looks if used in a fountain pen.

 

[Frank C]

Thanks for posting these samples. I've been waiting to see these before buying them. Thanks!

[Cyber6]

Thanks SO MUCH for the sample writing and swab. I do like LION... but is not special enough to require the use of my ink-smugglers.

 

 

Thanks again,

 

 

 

C.

[jmccarty3]

If I ever have the time to play I'm going to try adding a little of the purple to the blue and a little of the nano black to the blue.

[Elana]

For people hoping these would be picked up by a more accessible distributor, today's JetPens newsletter showed the Storia inks as "coming soon". Here's a screenshot:

 

 

I'm not sure I'm actually interested in these inks, myself. I'm very persuaded by themes and names and things like that, and the carnival theme does nothing for me. Also it sounds like the general vibe in this thread is ambivalent.

 

(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to JetPens aside from giving them way too much of my money)

Edited May 13, 2015 by Elana

[Frank C]

For people hoping these would be picked up by a more accessible distributor, today's JetPens newsletter showed the Storia inks as "coming soon". Here's a screenshot:

 

I'm not sure I'm actually interested in these inks, myself. I'm very persuaded by themes and names and things like that, and the carnival theme does nothing for me. Also it sounds like the general vibe in this thread is ambivalent.

 

(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to JetPens aside from giving them way too much of my money)

 

I was just going to post the same thing myself, including the ambivalence and the disclaimer! Although the blue might be okay.

[R. N. Dominick]

For people hoping these would be picked up by a more accessible distributor, today's JetPens newsletter showed the Storia inks as "coming soon".

 

These are in-stock today at JetPens for a staggering $32 per bottle. Given what Engeika shows as the MSRP ($18) and what they'll be asking when they get it in stock ($13), I can't say I'm even tempted.

[PenChalet]

The US distributor for Sailor is offering a free bottle of this ink with a Sailor pen purchase:

https://www.penchalet.com/blog/new-sailor-storia-ink/

[Hospitalier]

Cheers all; reading this thread just saved me $100.

Now to buy some Sailor Four Seasons ink!